Grasshopper Torte

Grasshopper Torte – Whipped topping spread over a light, minty crème de menthe filling on a chocolaty graham cracker crust is a great holiday or anytime dessert!

St. Patrick’s Day is next week, so let’s be clichéd and go green, shall we? And what better way to go green than mint? This Grasshopper Torte is the answer for your St. Patrick’s Day dessert this year!

When I shared my mom’s favorite Double Cherry Chocolate Cake recipe, I told you that she gave me an old cookbook of my grandma’s. Well, among the many, many (can I say many too many times?) Jell-o mold recipes, was this little gem I’m sharing today.

I asked my mom if she had ever made this Grasshopper Torte, and she hadn’t. Everything about the recipe sounded mouthwateringly amazing, so I figured it had to be a hidden treasure that has been waiting years to be found. I was right.

First, let’s just put all the cards on the table here. I’m pretty sure this dessert isn’t technically a torte. A torte is generally a multi-layered cake with various fillings. Not so much here, but my grandma’s recipe called it a torte, so I will, too.

One of the things I found interesting about this Grasshopper Torte is that it uses gelatin in the filling. The gelatin allows the dessert to hold its shape when the springform ring is removed. And while you don’t want to leave the dessert out at room temperature for too long, I think the gelatin works with the cream cheese to keep the filling from melting into a puddly mess.

Because the filling has a gelatin-like texture, you do want to be careful when removing the springform ring. Just like normal Jell-o, the top can split very easily when pulled in one direction or another, so running a small knife around the edge of the dessert before removing the springform ring is highly recommended! If you do get a crack or split, no worries! The whipped topping will cover that right up!

Speaking of the whipped topping, I did take a liberty with the recipe on that ingredient. My grandma’s recipe called for 2 cups of whipping cream, with a ½ cup of that reserved to whip for the topping. You certainly can do that, but I felt like Cool Whip would have a bit better staying power. (It helped that I already had some in my freezer!) Totally your choice how you want to top this luscious dessert!

And while we’re being honest, I did make one other change to the recipe. My grandma’s recipe called for chocolate wafer cookies. I actually had a hard time finding these at my normal grocery store (and then found them on my next trip!), so I went with chocolate graham crackers. Again, either one will work. If you use the chocolate wafer cookies, you’ll want about 1 1/3 cups of crumbs. Not sure how many cookies that equates to!

I’m so glad I came across this recipe to share with you! This Grasshopper Torte has the classic, delicious crème de menthe/chocolate pairing you’d expect with any grasshopper recipe. Its light and airy texture just melts in your mouth!

Indulging in this decadent Grasshopper Torte is the best way to get your green on this St. Patrick’s Day!

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Grasshopper Torte

Whipped topping spread over a light, minty crème de menthe filling on a chocolaty graham cracker crust is a great holiday or anytime dessert!

Course:
Dessert

Cuisine:
American

Servings: 10

Author: Family Recipe

Ingredients

1 1/2cupsheavy whipping cream

1/4cupunsalted butter

1tablespoongranulated sugar

12sheetschocolate graham crackerscrushed and divided

1/2cupwater

1envelopeunflavored gelatin

1packagecream cheese8 ounce, softened

3/4cupgranulated sugar

1/3cupgreen creme de menthe

4ounceswhipped toppingthawed

Instructions

Chill a large mixing bowl and beaters in refrigerator for at least one hour. Add the heavy cream and beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form. Refrigerate until ready to use (up to 1 hour).

Remove 2 tablespoons of crushed graham crackers into a small bowl and set aside.

Melt butter in a medium-sized microwaveable bowl. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and remaining graham cracker crumbs and mix until crumbs are well-coated. Press crumb mixture into bottom of a 9” springform pan and place in refrigerator.

Place water in a small sauce pan. Sprinkle gelatin over water and let stand 5 minutes. Then stir over low heat until gelatin dissolves. Remove from heat.

In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese and ¾ cup sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy.

Slowly add the gelatin mixture and beat until combined.

Stir in the crème de menthe until mixture is completely green.

Gently fold in the whipped cream and mix by hand until no white streaks remain.

Pour the crème de menthe mixture into the chilled springform pan. Chill in the refrigerator at least 4 hours.

When ready to serve, run a very thin knife between the dessert and the springform pan to loosen the edges. Remove springform pan ring.

Place dessert on a serving plate. Spread whipped topping over top of crème de menthe layer, from edge-to-edge. Sprinkle reserved graham cracker crumbs on top.